kristin311's Profile
It's a language thing...
And just think, had he been in Hamburg... Ich bin ein Hamburger... Or Frankfurt... Ich bin ein Frankfurter...
It's a texture thing...
I can't believe how few people hate undercooked egg whites!! Eww! Egg whites are great for meringues, macarons, and fancy frothy drinks, but nothing ruins my breakfast faster than a jiggly egg white... I don't even eat the white when it's cooked properly most of the time. The yolk is a different story... on toast, risotto, or one of many asian dishes that add an uncooked yolk... I LOVE it.
Additionally, I noticed no one mentioned watermelon. all those grainly little white fibers.... Ew. Or the slimy seed part of tomatoes.
I used to me more texturally challenged - I wouldn't eat any veggies with a 'crisp,' like peppers, onions, celery, carrots... I still don't like them raw, but you just cant live without onions!
Brine success!
It was quite a bit of brine for only 3 chops (hey, there's only 2 of us!), but it wasn't more work than it would have been if I'd made say, 1/2 as much. I generally get our pork from an Associated supermarket in East Harlem, where we live... I think they don't do anything extra to the meat they sell... less steps=more profit, and pork is so important to the local fare, so I'd hope they wouldn't mess with it... Needless to say, it certainly isn't labeled if it does have water added.
Brine success!
I have seen a few topics talking down the brining of individual pork chops, so I decided to try it myself. I had a total of 1 pound of pork, cut into 3 small chops (boneless). I heated 1/2 cup of kosher salt and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar in 2 cups water with 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 3 cloves smashed garlic, and a few sprigs of sage. When the salt was dissolved, I poured it into a bowl with 6 cups cold water (made 8 cups total liquid). Once that chilled completely, added the pork and let sit in fridge for 30-40 minutes. While it was soaking, I made a mean 2 potato (sweet and idaho) hash with green beans and shallots, but that's neither here nor there. Dried off the chops, seared till brown, and finished in a 300 degree oven. Delicious. Some of the most flavorful, moist pork chops I've had recently.
Best things you'll NEVER be able to cook again??
When I worked at bars and restaurants through college, I was always "drunk cooking" for my boyfriend and his poker buddies. There was more than one occasion when everyone, including myself, was wowed, but I couldn't remember what I put in those snacks the morning after, so I sure as hell can't remember now :)
Help me with Butternut Squash
I used to work at a restaurant that had a FANTASTIC and unique dish using squash, and I would never post the idea as mine, naturally ;)
Blue cheese and brioche stuffed squash (I believe they used acorn, but a little creativity couldn't hurt here). It was basically similar to a twice-baked potato, as it was stuffed with a mixture of roasted squash, blue cheese, caramelized onion, brioche (day-old, I'd assume) and an egg to bind it all together, I believe. For presentation's sake, you can slice an acorn (or butternut) squash in 2 inch slices, scoop out the seeds and fibers, fill with prepared stuffing, and bake for probably 35-40 minutes, or until the squash "cup" is fork tender.
I'm not sure about the ratios of ingredients, but I think some recipe experimenting could yield yummy results, even if they need revising.
What did you cook today and was it good? (revival of a good topic)
Thanks for the topic, peg.
I am currently making cheaters cassoulet. I say it is cheaters, because I used canned beans, store bought duck confit, and cheap smoked sausage). I'm sure it won't compare to the cassoulet at the restaurant I used to work at, but it smells fantastic. I plan on serving apple tart I made yesterday for dessert.
If anyone has a groundbreakingly delicious cassoulet recipe that can be prepped in an hour or so (not including cooking time, obviously) I would love to hear it.
I'm going to brave my first pie crust
I actually made my first pie crust in years last week, and it was fantastic. I put EVERYTHING (utensils, bowl, flour... everything) in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to mixing. I also let the crust sit in the freezer another 30 minutes before filling and baking. Also, I rolled out the crust between 2 pieces of parchment paper, because I don't have a good countertop for rolling out dough. Hope your crust turns out great!
